Vladimir Grabinsky: A.

Sokolov : Sveshnikov USSR 1985 XIIIIIIIIYThe important bishop out of 9r+-+r+k+0bishop pair 9+-+nwqp+p0What is included into essential knowledge 9p+l+-snp+0about bishop pair advantage? Apparently, 9+pzpp+-+-0every schoolboy knows that one has to 9P+-+-zP-+0open up center. This is declared eagerly,but the rest is going not that easy. I came 9+PsNP+-zP-0across the players of master level who 9-vL-+-zPLzP0didnt know that with pair of bishops onehas to go into endgame. I like bringing 9+-tRQ+RmK-0students into stupor by asking which of xiiiiiiiiybishop pair is more important. I looked up To increase the role of bishop on b2 itsthe answer in the book Elements of Chess important to break its main opponent - theStrategy written by Ukrainian chess coach c5-pawn.Alexey Kosikov. He brought up many 18.b4!!strong chess players in Kyiv, such as GMs: The best move with idea to bomb up theV. Baklan, V. Malakhatko, A. Zontakh, S. dark squares. If white delayed it for aVysochin. Beside his trainers move, Black would strengthen the darkachievements its remarkable that Kosikov squares with b4, Qd6 just on time.also declared several chess rules which are 18...cb4 19.Na2!!used by many chess players and coaches. The key move! This side knights retreat isFor example, at his lecture, which was much stronger than any other naturalpublished in one of Dvoretsky books, there knight jumps. 19.Nb5?! ab5 20.Rc6 ba4was mentioned the principle of the worst and pawns on the queenside lookpiece for the first time. But I like even dangerously; 19.Ne4!? de4 20.Rc6 e3!more his rule about 2 bishops. To 21.fe3 ba4 22.f5 and the positions seemdemonstrate the advantage of bishops promising for white but still its morepair one has to prove first of all the irrational and really less convincing thanpower of that bishop which is missing the one Andrei Sokolov achieved in hisfor your opponents. game.Alexey Kosikov brings few games on this 19...Rac8theme, among them especially impressivelooks his own victory against Agzamov. I XIIIIIIIIYwanted to collect more examples, which 9-+r+r+k+0demonstrate on praxis this important and 9+-+nwqp+p0little known rule. So now I suggest mypositions collection on this topic. 9p+l+-snp+0 9+p+p+-+-0 9Pzp-+-zP-+0 9+-+P+-zP-0 9NvL-+-zPLzP0 9+-tRQ+RmK-0 xiiiiiiiiyFIDE Surveys Vladimir Grabinsky 120.a5!! 39.Qb6 b4 40.a6 b3 1:0.This is the quiet move which is so hard tonotice at the beginning. Thats why only Short : Zilberfew students can find the right idea of Hastings 1979breakthrough which starts with the b4 XIIIIIIIIYmove. 9-+n+r+k+020...Nb8 21.Nb4?Its haste. Andrei Sokolov in his 9+p+q+pzpp0commentaries recommended 21.Qb3!? 9-+p+lzp-+0hinting on capture on b4 with all comfort, 9+-+-+-+-0but this gives chance to remove blockade 9-+PzP-+-+0with pawn sacrifice 21...d4! 22.Bd4(22.Qb4 Qd8!) 22...Bg2 23.Kg2 Nc6. 9+PvL-+QzP-0Apparently we come to conclusion that the 9-+L+-zPP+0best choice is 21.Bd4!, with possible 9tR-+-+-mK-0variation 21...Bd7 22.Rc8 Bc8 23.Qa1! xiiiiiiiiyNbd7 24.Qb2 and White has total 14 year old Nigel Short successivelydomination over dark squares! implemented strategy of weakening dark21...Qb4 22.Bf6 Nd7 squares for his bishop c3.Again interesting was 22...d4! 20.Qd3!23.Ba1 Qd6 At first the youngster makes pawnThe best chance was 23...Nc5. Taking structure around the black king morepawn would be dangerous: 23...Qa5? friable. Impatient 20.d5 wont work:24.Qg4! Nice geometry. White creates the 20...cd5 21.Rd1 Ne7.threat of Rc6 and same time activates his 20...f5queen (24.Qb3 was recommended by Even worse is 20...g6 21.d5 cd5 (21...Bf5Andrei Sokolov, but Black could hold 22.Qd4 Bc2 23.Qf6 Kf8 24.Bd2!! notposition in the natural way 24...Qb6! with allowing to escape from the sinking ship.)the same idea to push d4.) 24...Qd8 25.f5. 22.Qd4 Qd8 23.cd5 Bd5 24.Rd1 Nb6Queen turned to be aiming to go to d4. 25.Ba5.24.Qb3 d4 25.Bc6 Rc6 26.Rc6 Qc6 21.g4 Ne7 22.Bb4!27.Bd4 h5 28.h4 Re2 29.Qb4 Nf8 30.Re1 Pushing his opponent to do furtherQc2 31.Re2 Qe2 32.Qd6 +- weakening.XIIIIIIIIY 22...g6 23.Bc3!9-+-+-snk+0 The Moor has done his duty.9+-+-+p+-0 23...f69p+-wQ-+p+0 XIIIIIIIIY9zPp+-+-+p0 9-+-+r+k+09-+-vL-zP-zP0 9+p+qsn-+p09+-+P+-zP-0 9-+p+lzpp+09-+-+qzP-+0 9+-+-+p+-09+-+-+-mK-0 9-+PzP-+P+0xiiiiiiiiy 9+PvLQ+-+-0And after White finally coordinated his 9-+L+-zPP+0pieces, black is really bad. The dark 9tR-+-+-mK-0squares are too weak. xiiiiiiiiy32...Qe6 33.Qd8 Qc6 34.Bb2! Qe6 35.Be5 24.g5! fg5f5 36.Bd6 Qf7 37.Qc8 Kg7 38.Qa6 Ne6

FIDE Surveys Vladimir Grabinsky 4

Black. She could have traded on d4, but 25.f5! Bf7 26.Rf4!! (26.Be4? Nd5)the woman I love reasonable sacrificed 26...Nd5 27.Re4! Re4 28.Be4.pawn for blockade. 25...Nd5 26.ab5 Qb5 27.Ba2 Rc7 28.Ra117...c4! 18.Nc5?! Bf7 29.Qd2If sacrifice is accepted (18.Qc4), then after XIIIIIIIIY18...Be6 19.Qe2 b5 Black has enoughcompensation for the pawn because of 9-+-+r+k+0squares c4 and d5 and the awful bishop on 9+-tr-+lzpp0b2. 9-+-+-zp-+018...b5?!Myroslava sacrifices pawn with her second 9+q+n+-+-0consecutive move, but this time she had 9-+pzPpzPP+0even better opportunity. Though it doesntlook human - 18...Na5!, but computer 9+-zP-zP-+P0insists that its very strong, as after it 9LvL-wQ-+-+0protects pawn a6 with Bc8 and preparesvery unpleasant for the knight move b6 9tR-+-+RmK-0which brings good advantage for Black: xiiiiiiiiy19.a4 Bc8. The talented Emirati GM is giving away19.Na6 Qb6 his pawn not out of want but out ofAgain its human move but not the necessity. Its little pleasure to strugglestrongest one. Black could obtain after 29.Rfb1 Qc6 and its an amazing boadvantage after 19...Qc8! with the idea of white pieces in the corner 30.Qd2 f5!after 20.Nc5 to play 20...Rd5! and now 31.gf5 Ne7.Black pieces are looking in the direction of 29...Ne3 30.Qe3 Qb2 31.Rfb1 Qc2whites king, with unambiguous threat to 32.Re1take on h3. Threatening Bb1.20.Nc5 Nd7 21.Nd7 Rd7 22.Bb1 Ne7 32...Qb2Its quite clear where Knight is aiming. More precise was the prophylacticXIIIIIIIIY 32...Qa4! and White still has to fight for equality.9-+-+r+k+0 33.Reb1 Qc2 34.Re1 Qb2 .9+-+rsnpzpp09-wq-+-+-+0 Nikolic P. : Short Belgrade 19879+p+-+l+-0 XIIIIIIIIY9-+pzPp+-+0 9r+-+-trk+09zP-zP-zP-+P0 9+p+lwqnzpp09-vL-+QzPP+0 9n+-+p+-+09+L+R+RmK-0 9zp-zp-zPp+-0xiiiiiiiiy 9-+P+-sN-+023.f4It was the high time to reanimate bishops 9zPP+-vLPzP-023.a4! ba4 24.Ba3! 9-wQ-+-+LzP023...f6?!Black passively defends against g4 threat. 9+-+R+RmK-0Better was 23...Qg6 with idea h5 24.g4 h5. xiiiiiiiiy24.g4 Bg6 25.a4 Predrag Nikolic found an unexpected way

FIDE Surveys Vladimir Grabinsky 5

how to transform his bishop e3 to the main up of white pieces.piece in the position. 34.Rd6 Nc7 35.Rfd1 Ne8 36.Rc6! + bc624.Qd2!! 37.Bf5 Nef6 38.Be6 Rb8 39.Be5!This double attack doesnt seem dangerous The pair of bishops is all their best!at first sight. After all taking the rook pawn 39...Re8on a5 and trading it for own central pawn Its not good to take 39...Rb3, becauseon e5, which improves Blacks knight on 40.Bf6 gf6 41.Rd7.f7 and also opens his rook on a8, doesnt 40.Rd6 Kf8 41.Bf7 Kf7 42.Rc6 Ne5look like advantageous for White. 43.fe5 Re5 44.a4 Nd7 45.a5 Re8 46.a624...Bc6 25.Qa5 Ne5 26.Qc3 Qf6 Ra8 47.Nd5 Ne5 48.Rb6 e3 49.Ne3 1:0.XIIIIIIIIY Melkumyan : Caruana9r+-+-trk+0 Moscow 20089+p+-+-zpp0 XIIIIIIIIY9n+l+pwq-+0 9-vl-tr-trk+09+-zp-snp+-0 9zpp+n+pzpp09-+P+-sN-+0 9-+-wq-sn-+09zPPwQ-vLPzP-0 9+-+pzpL+-09-+-+-+LzP0 9-zP-zP-+-+09+-+R+RmK-0 9zP-sN-zPQzPP0xiiiiiiiiy 9-+-vL-zP-+027.Bc1! 9+-tR-+RmK-0Here is the main point. It turns out thatpawn e5 was on the way of own bishop, so xiiiiiiiiythe darksquare bishop is going to dominate 17.h4!now. With his next move Black wanted to chase27...Nd7 28.Qf6 Rf6 29.Bb2 e5 30.Nd5 the bishop away after move g6. So whiteRf7 31.f4 e4 plays prophylactic h4 to vacate the squareXIIIIIIIIY h3 for his bishop from which he keeps controlling important square c8.Conceptual9r+-+-+k+0 opening center with pair of bishops (17.e4)9+p+n+rzpp0 wouldnt bring any advantage.9n+l+-+-+0 17...Rfe8 On the first sight it seems that Black can9+-zpN+p+-0 occupy the outpost c4 with 17...e4 18.Qe29-+P+pzP-+0 g6 19.Bh3 Nb6, but knight cant reach c4 because of permanent threat of Nd5. 20.a49zPP+-+-zP-0 Kg7 (20...Nc4? 21.Nd5!) 21.a5 Nc49-vL-+-+LzP0 22.Be1, with threat Nd5 again. 18.Rc2 a6?!9+-+R+RmK-0 Multifunctional but not the strongest move.xiiiiiiiiy Fabiano Caruana planned to attack d4 with32.Bh3 the bishop from a7, also he covered the b5Also possible was the immediate 32.g4 fg4 square from knight intrusion. It would be33.Be4. better to move knight to e6: 18...e4 19.Qe232...Re8 33.Ne3 Ref8 Nf8 20.a4 Ne6 and restrict the whites33...g6 34.g4. A nice picture with ideal set bishop in this way.